The award will be given July 19 at a ceremony during the Health Forum/AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego. The winning program, Healthy Communities Initiative, East Ocean View in Norfolk, Virginia is one of only five programs honored by AHA this year.

The initiative is part of a system-wide strategic plan and is a living example of how Bon Secours lives out its mission. “We are called to co-create a more humane world, improve health, and model social justice. We have a responsibility to be stewards of the resources we have and to care for those in need,” said Sr. Patricia Eck, chairperson of Bon Secours Ministries, sponsor of Bon Secours Health System, upon introducing the initiative in 2009.

Bon Secours Hampton Roads chose East Ocean View, a one-square-mile community located on a peninsula surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and Little Creek. It is a community of over 4,500 residents where crime and poverty were high and access to healthy, fresh foods and primary health care services were low or nonexistent. The combination led to hypertension, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

The New Life Christian Center and Operation Blessing International Relief Organization were key partners in developing and supporting the initiative which grew to include partnerships with churches, community centers, the City of Norfolk, the East Ocean View Civic League, restaurants, farms, housing development organizations, universities, military bases, and other business and civic groups.

Programs include a The Storehouse, a food pantry; The EOV Community Garden;“Compassion” Events and Screenings offering free groceries, hot meals, health screenings, and information on fitness, nutrition, and weight loss; Passport to Health, a low-to-no-cost, six month, multi-component program that focuses on family eating, exercise and lifestyle; Medical and Dental Care, including primary care and screening through a mobile health unit and nurse navigators to help individuals access and coordinate needed services. The Passport to Health program helped 74 families (a total of 100 individuals) shed a total of 412 pounds over a three year period, with 21 of the participants seeing decrease in blood pressure, and several with lowered cholesterol scores. View a video or read more on the East Ocean View project here.

Frank Wilson, a single father of two teenagers enrolled his family in Passport to Health to learn about good nutrition. “The best part is I learned how to make quick, healthy dishes in a hurry,” he said. The importance of maintaining a healthy diet resonated with Frank’s 15-year-old son. “This is a great program for you to improve your life for the rest of your life,” he said.

Since its inception, the total investment from Bon Secours has exceeded $1 million, with funding from the DePaul Health Foundation and The Mission Fund of Bon Secours. Significant partner contributions range from outright donations of food, land, and money, to personnel time for program development and oversight.

“When we talk about partnerships and broad collaborations, it’s not just organizations doing things for people. It’s also about creating an environment in which we can collectively solve problems and use assets in our community to improve health and quality of life, said Rich Statuto, Bon Secours Health System’s chief executive officer. He continued, “Today we are seeing results.”

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About Bon Secours Virginia Health System

Bon Secours Virginia Health System (BSV), the fourth-largest and only faith-based health system in Virginia, is comprised of Bon Secours Richmond and Bon Secours Hampton Roads. BSV includes seven award-winning hospitals: four in Richmond and three in Hampton Roads. Bon Secours brings together an expanding network of hospitals, primary care practices, ambulatory care sites and continuing care facilities to provide high-quality health care and wellness services to thousands of Virginians. The not-for-profit Catholic health system employs nearly 12,500 people. Bon Secours Virginia hospitals offer a full range of services, including cardiac, women’s, children’s, orthopaedics, emergency services, oncology, neurosciences and surgery.

About Bon Secours Health System, Inc.

Bon Secours Health System, Inc. based in Marriottsville, Maryland, is a $3.5 billion dollar not- for-profit Catholic health system that owns, manages or joint ventures 19 acute care, 5 long term care, 4 assisted living, 6 retirement communities/senior housing, 14 home care and hospice services, and other facilities, primarily on the East Coast. Bon Secours Health System consists of more than 23,000 caregivers helping people in six states. Its vision is to be a prophetic Catholic health ministry partnering with communities to create a more humane world, build health and social justice and provide exceptional value for those served. For more information, visit www.bshsi.org.

About the American Hospital Association (AHA)

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information visit www.aha.org.